This bald teenager has won the internet’s heart

The internet tends to play host to glossy, flawlessly edited photographs of young women but it takes a special type of teen to ditch the filters and show off their natural beauty.

Brave 17-year-old Madisyn Babcock chose to smile widely in the face of adversity by going bald with a professional photoshoot.

The Kansas-based teenager, who lost her hair earlier this year due to alopecia, an autoimmune condition that attacks the hair follicles and causes hair loss, wanted to use the shoot as an opportunity to celebrate her unique beauty and raise awareness about the condition.

Image: Chelsea Taylor Photography

"I usually wear head covers due to the bald spots, so going entirely bald and exposing my head was new for me," Babcock told Yahoo Lifestyle.

"I decided to paint my head to raise awareness and to promote natural beauty,"

Image: Chelsea Taylor Photography

Photographer Chelsea Taylor captured the teen posing in a lush, countryside setting in multiple outfits with her bald head adorned with paintings of colourful flowers.

Babcock deliberately chose a floral design to channel positivity and showcase how she has blossomed into a new person since developing the condition. Alopecia can affect people all ages, genders and ethnicity, according to the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation.

"I chose flowers because they fit me as a person," said Babcock.

"I feel I’ve really blossomed into the person I’m supposed to be."

Image: Chelsea Taylor Photography

The photos of Babcock have pulled at the internet’s elusive heartstrings, becoming a viral sensation. The teenager posted the photos to her Twitter account which have since received over 4,000 likes and 367 retweets.

The brave teen isn’t the only Alopecia-sufferer to bring the condition to public attention. Model Tyra Banks has been open about her battle with the illness and Sex and the City star Kristin Davis revealed earlier this year she had suffered significant hair loss since packing away her pearls as Charlotte on the hit series in 2004.